Basic bib or aprons that are fastened around a patient's neck during dental or other procedures in order to protect the patient during treatment are already known. A common form of dentist's apron comprises a body portion covering the chest area of the patient and a collar portion attached to the body portion to secure the apron to the patient. The collar comprises two straps that extend beyond the main body portion of the apron to allow the collar to be adjustable so as to accommodate patients with a variety of neck sizes. Often, this is accomplished by forming a series of slots in one of the straps and by narrowing the tongue portion of the other strap so as to allow the tongue portion to be inserted in to the slot. The narrowed tongue portion is enlarged at the end so that the apron can be securely attached around the patient's neck.
A problem with this type of apron is that the patient is only partially protected by the apron since it only covers the chest area, and secondly that the collar is not really fully adjustable since only a predetermined number of slots can be provided in the strap of the collar. The situation then arises that the collar is either too loose, allowing fluid etc. to pass between the collar and the neck of the wearer, or that the collar is too tight, and the patient feels uncomfortably restricted by the collar of the apron. A further problem with this type of apron is that it is difficult to undo easily and quickly, which may be required in an emergency.
A further problem with conventional aprons is that the collar portions do not have sufficient absorbency for modern dental treatments. Such treatments are now more complex than ever before. Such treatments can take anything from 1 hour to 9 hours, compared with the relatively short procedures that were performed in the past. The increase in complexity of procedures is partly due to the improvement of the standard of dental care over the years, but increasingly is because more and more patients are now undergoing complex cosmetic dental procedures. Recent surveys have shown that more than 92% of dentists in the UK now offer cosmetic dentistry in their practice, and that over 90% of dentists in the UK agreed or strongly agreed that they had noticed an increased demand for cosmetic dentistry in the last five years. Such procedures are commonly performed by private dental clinics, and as such, patients expect a much higher level of care and comfort during and after the dental procedures.
Therefore, dental treatment is increasingly based on the patient's desire for cosmetic dental improvement procedures rather than the traditional visits by patients to their dentist for treatments simply to alleviate pain.
Private clients therefore expect to be pampered and are more and more seeking a more comfortable experience whilst lying in the dental chair to make their visits more pleasant.